


Contact Ban

by addictedtofiction



Series: Take My Hand [1]
Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-07
Updated: 2013-03-07
Packaged: 2017-12-04 14:39:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/711853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addictedtofiction/pseuds/addictedtofiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one is sure when a high-five became a form of assault, and a handshake was prosecuted as sexual harassment. All they know is that it happened. Based off this post from tumblr: "the year is 2066. physical contact has been outlawed. hug dealers tenderly embrace people in the dead of night and shady people hold hands in dark streets"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Contact Ban

Grantaire doesn’t know how it started –how a highfive became a form of assault, and a handshake was prosecuted as sexual harassment. He’s not sure anyone knows how it happened. All he knows is that it has been going on for almost as long as he can remember. (He says almost, because he vaguely remembers wrestling with other children on the playground, something that would be unheard of these days.)

It’s one of those laws that no one knew about until after it was passed. And then everyone just accepted it. For years.  In fact, Grantaire had never heard of anyone speaking out against it, until he was introduced to Enjolras.

Bahorel, one of Grantaire's drinking buddies had pulled him aside one night (well, gestured for Grantaire to follow him into the corner. No one pulls anyone aside anymore), and tells him about a club meeting he thinks Grantaire should attend. He calls them “The Friends of the ABC”, and Grantaire tells him that he really doesn’t care about public education. But Bahorel insists, so Grantaire shows up for a meeting three days later, relatively sober.

He is surprised by the wary looks he receives when he walks in the door, and even more surprised when the blonde haired angel that is obviously the leader grips his hand and shakes it after Bahorel reassures them all that Grantaire is, in fact, invited.

Grantaire tries to hide his surprise, fails miserably, and mutters something about this obviously not having anything to do with public education.

The blonde one –Enjolras, smiles at him and says, “Actually, in a way it is. Our goal is to educate the public at least. The whole public, not just the children, on the injustices inflicted upon us by the government. Especially those concerning the Contact Ban.”

Grantaire raises one, skeptic eyebrow, but says nothing.

* * *

 

The meetings become a regular thing for Grantaire. He learns the names of all those in attendance, and begins to consider them friends.

Bahorel is there, obviously, along with his roommate, Feuilly, who Grantaire is familiar with by association. Bahorel doesn’t exactly behave affectionately in this new-found, open atmosphere, but he’s a lot freer with his “friendly” punches. Feuilly, similarly, is not overly affectionate, constraining himself to reassuring touches on the shoulder, or friendly pats on the back.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s Jehan and Courfeyrac, who are so ridiculously in love that Grantaire has trouble picturing how they must act in the streets. Here, in the safety of Les Amis they are constantly wrapped around each other. Sometimes it becomes difficult to tell where one of them ends and the other begins. When the two aren’t curled around one another, they’re physical with the rest of the Amis. No one is at all surprised when Courfeyrac envelopes them in a hug, or Jehan kisses them all on the cheek before he leaves.

Joly, Bossuet, and Musichetta, the other couple among Les Amis are only slightly less demonstrative. While they’re not constantly entangled, there’s always some part of them that’s touching. Grantaire finds himself thinking the crime is not that they’re touching, but rather that they cannot do so all the time.

Combeferre is quiet, and reserved. When he speaks, it’s as if he has carefully measured every word he uses and chosen only the ones that will most quickly get his point across. He’s the least demonstrative out of the lot of them, and at first Grantaire thinks this is because he understands how futile this fight is –how dangerous it will be for all of them if they’re caught. It takes him less than half a meeting to realize that Combeferre’s tendency to avoid peoples touch does not lesson his belief in their cause (“We’re not saying everyone has to go around hugging people all the time” Combeferre tells him, “We’re saying they should have that _right._ )

Lastly, there’s Enjolras. Grantaire is actually pretty sure that Enjolras is some sort of avenging angel. It’s not that Grantaire is specifically religious; only, he finds it hard to believe that someone so perfect can actually be 100% human. Enjolras is some sort of supernatural being forged from fire and light and justice. Somehow Enjolras had decided that this law needed changing, and Grantaire thinks he might actually be able to do it.

Grantaire cares about these people in a way he has never cared about anyone else. Not his parents, or his schoolmates, or anyone. He cares about them so much and would go to such lengths to protect them that it has actually begun to scare him.

It is for this reason that he tells them time and again that they are fighting a losing battle.

**Author's Note:**

> A big thanks to deandcas.tumblr.com for betaing this.  
> Also, there will probably be a lot more from this verse because I'm rather in love with it and have a ridiculous amount of head cannons about the contact ban.


End file.
